Soldier: 76
Soldier: 76, real name Jack Morrison, is a gay character from Overwatch. Biography Jack Morrison signed up to fight in the Omnic wars at age 18. He became one of the participants in the Soldier Enhancement programs, where he became friends with Gabriel Reyes. The U.N. assembled Overwatch, where he worked under Reyes. When the crisis was over Jack became Strike Commander of Overwatch. The public began to lose faith in Overatch after several accusations. During a UN Investigation, Jack got into a conflict with Reyes at the Swiss HQ. The HQ was destroyed, and both Jack and Reyes were presumed dead. Jack survived and took on the identity of Soldier: 76. He began a string of attacks on former Overwatch bases in an attempt to avenge Overwatch. Appearance When Jack was younger, he had light blond hair and blue eyes. His hair turned grey when he became older, and the Swiss HQ explosion caused a large scar to form on his face. The explosion also caused his eyesight to worsen and he now wears the tactical visor to help him see. Personality Soldier: 76 displays a grouchy and serious demeanor, occasionally grumbling about his old age. He doesn't play by the same fighting rules that he used to, according to himself, and insults his opponents by saying they've "got a lot to learn". Ever since the clash at the Swiss Headquarters took place, Soldier: 76 has become obsessed with bringing criminals to justice, usually taking extreme measures to hunt them down. Although he sees no point in bringing back Overwatch to combat the Second Omnic Crisis, he still misses being able to fight alongside them, as revealed by his quotes when in Watchpoint: Gibraltar. In spite of this behavior, Soldier: 76 is willing to protect the innocent, even at the cost of letting his adversaries get away. A prime example is when he shields Alejandra from the explosion of a grenade rather than immediately chasing after the Los Muertos gang. He also seems to commend his team once in a while, as shown by his positive comparisons of Pharah to her mother in game. Sexuality In the comic "Bastet", Ana is going through Jack's stuff where she finds a picture of him and a man named Vincent. Michael Chu later confirmed on twitter that Jack and Vincent had been in a relationship, and both of them identify as gay. This made Soldier: 76 the second Overwatch hero to be confirmed as LGBTQIA+. Reaction LGBT+ Overwatch fans had been waiting since the Tracer reveal for another hero to be revealed to be LGBT, but many had started to believe that the creators had been making empty promises. Shock then ran among all fans when it was revealed that Jack was gay. Most LGBT fans were ecstatic about this revelation. Although many also cited that they'd figured this beforehand, and would jokingly use certain voice lines, and emotes, as evidence. This also gave many the realization that the two character who were essentially the mascots of the game were queer, given that they're both on the box for the disc and they're the character used in the tutorial. While LGBT fans were excited for another gay character, many used it to point out a lack of diversity in the LGBT characters. Most gay characters in western media are white men, and wanted to see more POC queer representation. Some fans were disappointed to find that Jack hadn't been in a relationship with Reaper, as it is a fan favorite pairing. Gammergate players had a very negative reaction to the reveal that Jack Morrison was gay. Many outright saying that they would never play the game again, and threatening to burn all their 76 merch. Some made over exaggerated remarks that half the roster was gay, and the reveal ruined the character. Despite the fact that of the 29 heroes in the roster at the time only two were revealed to be queer, and very few had any established sexuality's. Relationships Vincent Vincent was Jack's boyfriend before the fall of Overwatch. They eventually broke up due to Jack's focus on his military duty. Like most people, it is implied that Vincent thought Jack died in the fight between Jack and his friend Gabriel Reyes. Jack kept enough tabs on him after his "death" to know that Vincent had moved on and got married. Tropes * * - Subverted. See Also : :Soldier: 76 on Gamepedia Navigation